Family apologizes to North Korea, its people

The wife and three children of an American man charged with "anti-state" crimes in North Korea apologized Tuesday to the communist country and pleaded for its government to show him mercy, saying in a statement they're "desperate for his release and return home."

Two American tourists charged with "anti-state" crimes in North Korea said Friday they expect to be tried soon and pleaded for help from the U.S. government to secure their release from what they say could be long prison terms.

North Korea said Monday it is preparing to try two Americans who entered the country as tourists, including a member of a Lebanon church, for carrying out what it says were hostile acts against the country.

The family of Jeffrey Edward Fowle, 56, of Miamisburg, appeared at a news conference at the Lebanon law office of an attorney and family friend acting as their spokesman. The family members did not speak or take questions.

The attorney, Tim Tepe, said the family was struggling to get by financially without Fowle, who is the sole bread winner. He works in a city streets department and told his family in a recent phone call that he feared that his job benefits will run out soon, Tepe said.

"The kids miss their dad. That's the bottom line," Tepe said. "They miss him and are desperate for his release and return home."

Fowle's wife, Tatyana, has personally written to President Barack Obama, asking for his intervention, as have his three children, Alex, 13, Chris, 11, and Stephanie, 9. She also has written to three former presidents -- George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter -- and asked them to intercede.

Tepe said only Bush has responded to those letters but that the family has gotten help from Sen. Rob Portman, Rep. Michael Turner and former Congressman Tony Hall.

Fowle was detained sometime after he arrived in North Korea on April 29 for what the country says are hostile acts that violated his tourist status.

"The family would like to express its heartfelt apology to the people and the government of the (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea). Jeff has apologized publically for his actions and Jeffrey’s family petitions the government for mercy toward Jeffrey and asks for his release," Tepe said.

He is suspected of leaving a Bible in a nightclub in the northern port city of Chongjin.

Tepe has said Fowle was not on a mission for his church, that he was in North Korea on vacation as part of a tour and "loves the adventure of experiencing different cultures and seeing new places."

"I hear the desperation in her voice to get Jeff home. I know that she's under a great deal of stress. In talking with the kids, I know they miss their dad. My heart breaks for them, it really does," Tepe said.

North Korea has said authorities are preparing to bring Fowle and another American detainee, 24-year-old Matthew Todd Miller, of Bakersfield, California, before a court, but hasn't yet specified what they did that was considered hostile or illegal, or what kind of punishment they might face. The date of the trial has not been announced.

"He's always mentioned he's been treated well," said Tepe.

In a recent interview with an Associated Press video crew, Fowle said he fears his situation will worsen with a trial.

"The horizon for me is pretty dark," Fowle said on Aug. 1. "I don't know what the worst-case scenario would be, but I need help to extricate myself from this situation. I ask the government for help in that regards."

North Korea has in the past waited for senior U.S. officials to come to the country to secure the release of some American detainees. Both Fowle and Miller suggested that intervention from the highest levels in Washington -- possibly a visit by a former president -- might be needed to gain their release.

The U.S., which has no diplomatic ties with North Korea and no embassy there, has repeatedly offered to send its envoy for North Korean human rights issues, Robert King, to Pyongyang to seek a pardon for other U.S. detainees but without success.

They include Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae, who has been held since November 2012, and is serving 15 years of hard labor for what North Korea says were hostile acts against the state.

Though a small number of U.S. citizens visit North Korea each year as tourists, the State Department strongly advises against it.

After Miller's detention, Washington updated its travel warning to note that over the past 18 months, "North Korea detained several U.S. citizens who were part of organized tours."

OPEN WITHOUT THAT. ARE A PLEA FOR HELP TONIGHT FROM THE FAMILY OF A LOCAL MAN BEING HELD IN NORTH KOREA. WILL JEFFERY FOLEY HAS BEEN A PRISONER FOR MONTHS. HIS FAMILY IS TAKING A NEW A PREACH TO GET HIM RELEASED. THE KID IS MR. DAD THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE. THREE CHILDREN, A 13-YEAR-OLD, 11-YEAR-OLD AND NINE-YEAR-OLD SAT SILENT ALONGSIDE THEIR MOTHER AS THE FAMILY ATTORNEY SPOKE FOR THEM. THE FAMILY WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS ITS HEARTFELT APOLOGY TO THE PEOPLE AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE VPRK, JEFF HAS APOLOGIZED PUBLICLY FOR HIS ACTIONS AND JEFFERY'S FAMILY PETITIONS THE GOVERNMENT OF THE VPRK FOR MERCY TOWARDS JEFFERY AND ASKS FOR HIS RELEASE. HE HAS BEEN HELD FOR THREE MONTHS IN NORTH KOREA, A JAPANESE NEWS AGENCY HAD REPORTED THE MAN WAS HELD THERE AFTER ALLEGEDLY LEAVING A BIBLE IN HIS HOTEL ROOM. THE FAMILY SAYS THEY RECEIVED A LETTER AND A PHONE CALL FROM HIM LAST MONTH. HE'S ALWAYS MENTIONED THAT HE'S BEING TREATED WELL. AN ATTORNEY SAYS HIS FAMILY IS DESPERATE FOR HIS RELEASE. HE IS THE SOLE BREAD WINNER AND THE FAMILY IS STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY. I HEAR THE DESPERATION IN HER VOICE TO GET JEFF HOME. I KNOW SHE IS UNDER A GREAT DEAL OF STRESS. IN TALKING WITH THE KIDS I KNOW THEY MISS THEIR DAD AND LIKE MY HEARTBREAKS FOR THEM. IT REALLY DOES. 4 THEY SAY THE WIFE AND KIDS HAVE ALL WRITTEN LETTERS TO PRESIDENT OBAMA ASKING THAT HE INTERVENING. LETTERS WERE SENT TO THREE FORMER PRESIDENTS. THEY SAY HE WAS NOT ON A MISSION FOR HIS CHURCH. AND HE WAS ON VACATION AS PART OF A TOUR. AND THEY SAY AUTHORITIES ARE PREPARING TO BRING HIM BEFORE A COURT BUT THE ATTORNEY SAID HE DID NOT KNOW IF A DATE HAD BEEN SET. WLWT NEWS 5. IN A RECENT INTERVIEW WITH AN ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER FOWL